CANDLES,
MARMALADE AND OTHER FINE GEMS
It’s
been a very active month since I last posted! Showcase –—the trade show for
Irish exporters with the creative gene — was just fab. There was a really nice
buzz; lots of visitors, lots of orders placed and people were in good form.
Of
course my attention was on the jewellers (although I was swooning with the
scents from the La Bougie stand. They were the nearest thing to the wildly
different olfactory delights from my favourite candle makers – Cire Trudon — that
I’ve ever come across. When I mentioned this to La Bougie creator, Lucy Hagerty
she confessed this was no co incidence; Cire Trudon is their hero brand. High
five girls! And since CT has been removed from Brown Thomas (why, I wonder?) I,
for one will be looking to La Bougie to fill the gap.
I
was also impressed with the preserves on display in the Grange Crafts stand.
OMG...their brown bread and Whiskey Marmalade was just mouth watering. I had a
Harry-met-Sally moment as I savoured a mouthful and was really bowled over when
the woman on the stand (I think it was Rachel Cubbitt, but I stand corrected.
She gave me a card but I can't find it) insisted on my taking a pot of the
marmalade home. How nice was that… My husband, who eats marmalade every day of
his life, was most impressed when I told him that I brought it home especially
for him (!)
Back
to the jewellers … All of them had something unique to offer but I especially
loved Garrett Mallon’s designs. A month later I can still see them in my mind’s
eye. It must be living in such a beautiful corner of Ireland (Garrett works out
of Omeath on Carlingford Lough) that inspires his thoughtful pieces with their
nod to our Celtic heritage.
After
Showcase I headed to Birmingham. More of that anon (hopefully in less than a month or
I’ll be talking about Mothers Day at Christmas ….
Meanwhile
check out –
www.labugie.com
